-- Jan. 5, 13, 20, 1934
OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PREPARATION OF TEMPLE SHEETS 1. Recommends. (a) All persons eight years of age and over are required to present a Temple recommend (or, for adults, a properly dated admission card) to the door-keeper before entering the Temple. (b) When a recommend has been secured from the Bishop, or Branch or District President, the holder must get it signed by the Stake President or Mission President before it will be accepted at the Temple. In wards using group recommends, members are required to make application to the Bishop each year to have their names included on the list. Recommends are now issued annually and are in force during year of issue only, expiring December 31st. * 2. Donations. Donations are accepted at the door of the Temple. A consistent donation by couples being married, who can afford it, would be the amount of the fee required for a civil ceremony. 3. Living Endowments and Sealings. Members going to the Temple for their own endowments should obtain, if possible, before leaving home, all of the data called for on the reverse side of their recommends. The Bishop or Ward Clerk can often times assist the individual members by supplying the needed information from the Ward records. Baptism dates (day, month and year) must be obtained without fail. Members who are already endowed and who are going to the Temple for marriage or sealing must have their own endowment date (day, month and year). * 9. Paid Work. When proxies have to be obtained to act in endowments for the dead, it is customary to pay 50 cents for a male name and 40 cents for a female name. * 12. Heir. The full name of the proper heir is required on every sheet. The name should be written the same each time. Initials only are not sufficient. If the heir is dead indicate it thus[:] (d). The heir should be determined according to the following rule: "The oldest male in that direct (blood) line to have joined the Church in life." If there is no male in the line, who was baptized in life, then the oldest female to have joined the Church in life in that direct (blood) line may be designated as heir, using her full maiden name. If she has been sealed to her husband, then (and then only), add her married name to her full maiden name. Be careful to keep different lines under their proper heirship. Any question on establishing an heir may be submitted to the Temple Recorder. If it becomes necessary to change the heir on your line or lines, notify the Recorder of the Temple at once. Special signed permission from the Temple Presidency is required to make a non-member the heir. 13. Relationship. The relationship of the heir to each individual must be stated, using [the] exact relationship, if possible; for example, if the heir is John Henry Jones and you are giving the names of his grandparents and aunts and uncles, the relationship would be given respectively as grandson, nephew, etc., in the right hand column. Always state what relation the heir is to the dead and not the relationship of the dead to the heir. If [the] exact relationship is not known then use relative or relative-in-law[,] but care should be taken to keep within the rule covering the use of such names. Relationship[s] may be dittoed. 14. Work for Friends. Ordinance work for "friends" cannot be performed without permission from the Presidency of the Temple. Such permission and the written approval on the sheet should be obtained before presenting such sheet to the Temple Index Bureau for checking. 15. Infants Exempt. Children under eight years of age are not eligible for baptism and endowments[,] and their names should not be entered on these sheets. * 43. Year must elapse. One year should elapse from date of death before Temple ordinances are given if the individual heard the Gospel and did not accept it, or if a member of the Church and did not take advantage of the privilege to have his own endowments. Exceptions to this rule must be approved by the Presidency of the Temple. * 58. Rule of Sealing. In sealing the dead, a woman is to be sealed to her first husband; any exceptions to this rule must be by permission of the Temple Presidency. 59. Must have been married in life. Only those who were married in life should be sealed. Sealings of persons who were not married in life cannot be performed, except by the permission of the Temple Presidency. * 68. Data for children. The names of all the children who are to be sealed at the same time must be placed in the order of their birth (oldest first), whether they are living or dead. If they are eligible for baptism and endowment those ordinances should be attended to first with the complete endowment date given as required. State sex of each child as indicated in the column following the name. 69. Complete family. All members of one family should be sealed to their parents at the same time, if possible. * 71. Ordinances required. The dead who lived to the age of eight years or over are eligible for baptism and also endowments. Living males 21 years and over, or living females 18 years and over are to receive their own endowments before being sealed to their parents. 72. Adoptions. If the intended sealing of a child is to a person other than the natural father or mother, this fact must be explained to the Temple Presidency and answered by them. * 74. Respect rights of others. Sealings should not be performed for [anyone] other than relatives. (See paragraph 14.) 75. Bring nurse. When children are brought to the Temple for sealing, the parents should provide a nurse, if possible, who is properly recommended to the Temple, to care for the small children. In no case are children to be brought to the Temple except when required for their own sealings to parents. (This does not include children eight years of age and over who are brought in as proxies for baptisms for the dead on baptismal days.) [Salt Lake temple presidency, Jan. 1, 1934; published in the Deseret News, Jan. 5, 13, 20, 1934, emphasis in original] (1)
-- During 1934
... Bishops are authorized to issue temple recommends to all faithful members of the Melchizedek Priesthood and adult women members of their wards. Recommends for the performance of the ordinance of baptism for the dead may also be issued to exemplary young people. .... [Handbook of Instructions, Number 15 (Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1934), pp. 10-11] (1)
Endnotes:
1 - Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship
LDS History Chronology: Unconventional Baptisms
Mormon History Timeline: Forms of Rebaptism in LDS History
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
